Rendezvous in Rome
by Xanderette43
Summary: What happens when the person Dawn loves comes back? A year after 'Chosen'.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Rendezvous in Rome  
  
Author: Christine  
  
E-mail: Buffygirl43hotmail.com  
  
Summary: Post 'Chosen'. Set in the present time, May - June 2004 and after the Angel episode 'The Girl in Question'. What happens when the person Dawn loves comes back?  
  
Part One  
  
Crap. Smut. Talk show. Crap. Infomercial.  
  
There was just nothing good on television tonight. Dawn flicked the TV off and tossed the remote on the couch while curling her legs up and looking out the window. She still hadn't quite gotten used to Italian television. Sure the commercials were more risqué and nudity was as common as soap operas, but they didn't fill the void. She wanted her VH1, hell, even her MTV. Comedy Central was her favorite, and she hadn't seen that in over a year. She felt guilty for complaining; here she was in Rome, Italy, one of the most exquisite and beautiful places on earth, yet something was missing from her life.  
  
Buffy had been pretty much AWOL for the past few weeks, shacking up with The Immortal, or as she liked to call him 'Mr. Mysterious'. She didn't even know his real name yet. Dawn still didn't get her sister's choice of men. Sure Angel and Spike were gorgeous and enigmatic, but she wasn't sure if she could put up with their vampire 'situations'. Even Andrew had found dates, female ones to be more precise, and Dawn had once again stifled the urge to gently tell him she knew he was gay.  
  
As she lay there curled up on the couch looking out at the twinkling lights of Rome, she thought about what the other members of the Scooby Gang were doing right now. Willow was probably out with Kennedy gallivanting around Brazil, Giles was probably hard at work training the new Slayers in England, and Faith, well, who knew what she was up to. The last she heard from the brunette Slayer was two months ago in Bermuda, soaking up the rays and having a hell of a time with the pool guy in the hotel she was staying at. Her mind drifted to the one person she wished could be here right now. As far as she knew, Xander was still in Africa hot on the trail of a few new Slayers.  
  
Dawn sighed. She missed him above everyone else; they had gotten close last year, only to have to say goodbye to each other after Sunnydale's demise. She hadn't spoken to him in over three months and missed hearing his voice over the phone, even if it was just a quick hello. Brushing her hair back with her fingers, she stretched and lazily got up off of the couch. She was halfway to her bedroom when she heard a knock on the door.  
  
Rolling her eyes, she did a quick turn and headed back the way she came. "Andrew, I swear one of these days I'm going to super glue the house key to your forehead..."  
  
Yawning, she pulled back the chain lock and turned the other lock systematically before turning the doorknob. She tugged the door open expecting a debonair Andrew flanked by two attractive females, neither speaking a word of English. What she didn't expect was the six foot, 230 pound scruffy man standing in front of her with the classic black eye patch adorning his handsome face. She suddenly forgot to breathe.  
  
"Xander?" 


	2. Part Two

Part Two  
  
Breathe Dawn, breathe. In and out. In and out.  
  
Before she knew what was happening, her feet had left the floor and Xander's strong arms held her tightly, wrapping themselves around her small waist. She took a deep breath in and for the first time in over a year, his familiar scent warmed her heart. Her arms automatically went around his neck and she clung to him as if her life depended on it. She could feel his facial hair graze her cheek and relished the feeling. She had been waiting for this moment every day since last summer. His grip loosened and her feet once again touched the cold tiled floor. She took a half step back to get a good look at him. His hair had gotten a little shaggier, and his muscles... well he obviously had kept active during his stay in Africa, that much she was sure of. He wore a simple black t-shirt with ripped jeans and muddy sneakers, but Dawn couldn't think of a time where he looked better. She smiled up at him and shook her head.  
  
"You don't know how happy I am to see you Xander."  
  
He smiled his usual lopsided Xander grin and gently touched her shoulder. "Same here Dawn, you don't know how much I'm glad to be here, it's been way too long."  
  
She reached for his hand to guide him into the apartment and closed the door, locking it behind them. Xander turned around and noticed the heavy- duty locks on the doorframe and raised his eyebrows. Dawn just shrugged.  
  
"Let's just say you can take the girl away from the Hellmouth, but you -"  
  
"- can't take the Hellmouth out of the girl; I know." He smirked at her as he glanced around the apartment, taking it all in. "Some place you guys got here, Giles really came through with the money from the Watcher's Council."  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, he managed to access their secret bank accounts and everything, so we've all got some money to throw around here and there." Dawn paused and pointed down the hallway. "You know you've got a bedroom here too right?"  
  
He looked at her surprised. "Really?"  
  
"Yep, its right down here." She took his hand again and dragged him down the hallway to the last room on the right and pushed open the door. It was a simple room with a bed and dressers and two windows overlooking the city. "Buffy and I thought that you'd want to decorate it yourself so that's why everything is kinda bare."  
  
Xander scratched the back of his head in awe. "You guys really didn't have to do this... I don't know what to say." Dawn just smiled. "Say you'll stay with us?"  
  
He pulled her into another hug. "Of course."  
  
She clapped her hands together. "Great! Now let's go grab some food and you can tell me all about your adventures in Africa!"  
  
His eyes lit up at the prospect of food. "I'm starving!"  
  
"Good cause I've been learning how to cook, you can be my guinea pig."  
  
She led them back out into the hallway and into the kitchen, flipping the light on as Xander propped himself up against the counter. As she opened the refrigerator and bent over to take some of the ingredients out, Xander tilted his head and looked at her backside. As soon as he realized what he was doing though, his eyes widened and mentally slapped himself in the face. This was Dawn; not just some girl. She was Buffy's younger sister who was sweet and chaste and beautiful and grown up... He shook himself out of his rapidly degenerating thoughts and tried to think of something else. Mud, books, Spike. Anything to get his mind out of the gutter.  
  
He cleared his throat. "So, where's Buffy on this fine evening?"  
  
Dawn laughed as she tossed a block of Parmesan cheese on the counter. "Oh, she's out with her new boyfriend somewhere."  
  
"Buffy's got herself a new beau huh? That's cool, good for her."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but he's no regular guy, I don't even know his real name. He's some supernatural version of Fabio or something." She shrugged. "I like to call him Mr. Mysterious."  
  
A look of confusion crossed Xander's handsome features. "You don't know his name?"  
  
Dawn paused in her efforts to make him dinner and turned towards him. "Well, people call him 'The Immortal', but that's about it." She brushed a stray piece of her light brown hair out of her eyes and shrugged again. "I met him once, he was alright I guess; he didn't talk very much, and I got the feeling that he's been around the block a few times as they say." She turned back and got a pot out and filled it with water. "But I didn't want to say anything to Buffy about it, it's her decision and it's the first relationship she's had with anyone since that whole weird thing with Spike so I figure that's something right?"  
  
Xander considered this. Surely anyone would be better for her then Spike; whatever she had had with the bleached blonde vampire was in the past. "I guess so." He decided to change the subject. "Anything else exciting happening around here?"  
  
Dawn placed the pot on the store and turned the dial to turn it on. "Hmm, well Andrew lives here with us now, he's out right now on a date though."  
  
Xander's eyebrows rose. "Andrew lives here? Oh poor you." He patted Dawn's shoulder as she laughed.  
  
"Its really not as bad as it seems, he's gotten a lot better since Sunnydale. I mean, he still begs me to play video games and Dungeons and Dragons with him on a weekly basis, but other then that he's pretty fun to hang out with." She bit her lip in thought. "I wish he would just admit to me that he's gay though, I think he'd feel a lot better about himself if he did."  
  
Xander nodded in agreement. "Yeah, are you sure he's gay though? I mean maybe he's really not."  
  
A smirk appeared on Dawn's face. "Well, after I had overheard him moaning the pool boy's name in his sleep, I came to my own conclusions."  
  
A surprised, yet comical look crossed his face. "I SO don't want to know." He looked at her face and burst out laughing. "Not that I care, but what's this pool guy's name?"  
  
She giggled as she dumped some pasta into the water and stirred it. "Antonio, he's really nice, but he hardly speaks English so I really haven't talked to him much." She set the timer on the microwave and then motioned for them to sit down in the living room. "No matter how much I try learning Italian, it just doesn't seem to stick in my head; I'm so not a language person." She sighed.  
  
Xander plopped down next to her on the loveseat and took his muddy sneakers off. "Hey I'm not either so don't feel bad. I think the only Italian word I know is Ciao."  
  
A smile crossed her pretty face as she curled her legs up underneath her and turned to face Xander. "Nothing else has really been happening, no monsters or anything lately, unless you count last week when Angel and Spike came here looking for Buffy."  
  
Xander's eyes widened. "Spike?"  
  
She slapped her hand across her mouth. "Oh my God, you didn't know - he's back, well he came back after Angel had received this mystical package thingy."  
  
"Does Buffy know about this?"  
  
Dawn paused. "Yeah, she found out last week after they had left and Andrew spilled the beans."  
  
"Oh, so why were Dead Boy and Captain Peroxide here in the first place?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "They thought Buffy was in danger; they assumed that The Immortal was after her." She laughed for a moment. "Andrew said you should've seen their faces when he told them she was dating him."  
  
Xander bit his lip to keep from laughing. "I can just imagine. So they flew back to LA with their tales between their legs?"  
  
She giggled. "So to speak. Andrew said they weren't very happy about it."  
  
"My heart goes out to them." He looked at her and thought again how much she had grown since last year. "So how have you been?"  
  
She sighed. "Well, I got the equivalent of my GED from high school a month ago, so Buffy's been pressuring me to apply to some schools around here. I told her I wasn't ready to go right off to college, and of course that didn't go over so well with her. Not to mention the fact that she hasn't really been home lately to even try to talk to her about anything." Her shoulders sagged. "I just hope she remembers to be home on Tuesday."  
  
Xander looked at her in sympathy. "Your birthday."  
  
She nodded, a slight smile hanging upon her lips. "You remembered."  
  
His hand lightly touched her knee. "How could I forget? That's why I came home a week earlier!"  
  
Dawn looked at him in disbelief. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah, you seem surprised though."  
  
"Its nothing, I've just been kinda lonely. Everyone's been doing his or her own thing, and that's great, but at the same time its like I'm not allowed to do anything. Buffy doesn't realize I'm going to be eighteen in a couple of days; she still treats me like I'm twelve." She paused as she glanced at the timer on the microwave before continuing. "Like last week for example, I told her I was going to this new club downtown and she said the only way I was going was if she tagged along which wouldn't be bad except when we got there and a few guys started dancing with me she flipped out and dragged me out of there."  
  
Xander tried to hide a smile from appearing upon his lips. "These guys weren't trying to hump your leg were they?"  
  
A blush crept up her cheeks. "That's not the point though."  
  
"Well, if an older sister saw a bunch of horny guys grinding against her younger sister, one would assume she would put a stop to it pretty darn fast dontcha think?"  
  
She reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But you know what I mean, I'm just sick of it; I'm not a little kid anymore." She waved her hand up and down her body to emphasize her statement.  
  
Xander swallowed. Dawn definitely wasn't little anymore, that much was for sure. The last remnants of the girl she was last year was completely gone now; her slim, childlike body replaced by a curvaceous, slender one with creamy porcelain skin. His right eye wandered across her body for a brief moment, noticing how her tight t-shirt accentuated her ample chest and how he could see her flat stomach where her short shirt ended. His gaze skittered back up to her face and for a second he caught her staring back at him. He cleared his throat and motioned to the microwave.  
  
"Ah, I think the timer just went off." He got up off of the couch and headed for the bathroom. "Gotta use the little boy's room, I'll be right back."  
  
Dawn shook herself out of the moment and jumped up to drain the pasta. She wondered what just went on there; she noticed Xander looking at her pretty hard, and not just in a friend way. Her heart skipped a beat and for a moment she almost dropped the colander on the floor. As she put the pasta into a bowl, she took a container of tomato sauce out of the refrigerator and popped it in the microwave for a minute before taking out a plate and silverware. As she placed everything on the kitchen table, she failed to hear Xander come up behind her. She turned around to retrieve the sauce from the microwave and was greeted by his broad chest less then a foot away from her. She made a squeaking sound and braced her hand against him to steady herself.  
  
He noticed her hand on his chest and tried vehemently to ignore the effect it was having on him as both of his hands gently grabbed her shoulders. "Sorry, I thought you heard me."  
  
Dawn stood there looking up at him, trying her hardest not to look flustered. "Its okay, I have a knack for drowning out things, especially when Buffy and her boy toy are in her room sometimes."  
  
"Noisy?"  
  
She shook her head. "Understatement."  
  
Xander suddenly realized he was still holding onto her shoulders and began to drop his hands to his sides when she turned abruptly and his fingertips lightly brushed against her breasts causing both of them to freeze. Dawn's crystal blue eyes immediately looked up at his chocolate brown one and she finally saw what she was hoping she would. It wasn't just embarrassment clouding his gorgeous features, but lust; and maybe, just maybe something more.

To be continued...


	3. Part Three

Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope this next part satisfies you guys for now... some people might not like this part so much, but I've seen too many times that Xander pushes Dawn away, so I'm not going to travel down that road in this story. :)  
  
Part Three  
  
Dawn had never thought of herself as an impulsive person; Buffy was the one in the family with that trait, but standing inches away from Xander's face, she longed to know what it felt like to kiss him. She daydreamed about it for years but lately her once innocent thoughts had turned into frenzied sexual fantasies which woke her up at night to a quickened heartbeat and a longing sense of desire, of which no one else could cure but him. As he stood before her staring into her eyes, he felt the same pull. Every part of his head was telling him that this was wrong, that what he wanted to do more then anything right now was the worst thing he could ever do, but his heart was telling him something else entirely. As Dawn reluctantly turned to grab the sauce out of the microwave, Xander reached out and gently lifted her chin towards him and closed the gap between them. The second his lips touched hers her eyes closed and she thought her heart had stopped beating for a brief moment. The kiss was hesitant at first, but when Dawn tilted her head slightly, it deepened and she moaned softly against his mouth. Her hands reached around his neck and she felt his fingertips underneath the swell of her breasts; gently inching them further north.  
  
As Xander's mouth opened slightly, Dawn took the initiative and touched her tongue to his lips, silently asking permission. His mouth opened wider in response and the kiss intensified, setting off a whole new set of feelings and emotions. Even with Anya, Xander had to admit to himself that he never felt this level of intimacy with her, this complete emotional bond. As Dawn's hands gripped the back of his neck harder, Xander suddenly realized what was happening and a warning bell finally began to ring in his brain. He broke the heated kiss and felt Dawn's disappointment as her hands slipped from his skin.  
  
"Dawn we can't do this." He looked at her face and immediately wished he had the power to reverse time.  
  
She let out an unintentional sigh. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me; I just –" she closed her eyes and tried to will the tears that she could feel coming back the way they had come.  
  
"Just what?"  
  
She looked away from him and set her sights on the green cactus in the corner of the living room. "It's nothing."  
  
He gently touched her arm, and she glanced back at his confused face. "Dawn, you can be honest with me remember? Its me."  
  
She shook her head. "That's just the thing Xander. It is you. That's why I have such a problem trying to get out what I'm about to tell you." She sighed and nervously bit her lip. "And I know I probably sound like as cryptic as Angel used to be, but you have no idea how much I've missed you this past year. Everyday I would wake up and wonder what you're doing; if you were happy over there in Africa, and if you were safe. I felt so close to you last year when all the Slayer wannabes were in the house, and we were kind of the normal, non-superhero people. It felt so nice to just be with you, to watch those silly action movies with the bad acting, and staying up late and eating pints of Ben and Jerry's until we had stomachaches." She paused for a moment, not knowing whether to continue on or to just shut up. Glancing up at his face she knew she had to finish.  
  
"When I saw you standing in the doorway just now, it felt like I was finally home. I can't describe it, but you've been the one person in my life that I knew I could count on. When my Mom and Buffy had died, I didn't know how I could ever go on. I mean, the two remaining people in my family were gone just like that." She placed her hand over his. "But then I realized I wasn't alone. Willow, Tara, Giles, Anya and Spike were there for me. They were all great in their own ways and I will never be able to tell them how thankful I am for pulling me through those hard months, but it was you who helped me the most. When you would stay over with me and make cookies, or watch those cheesy girlie movies with me that I knew you hated. When I was with you I never felt alone." She could feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes. "As corny as this sounds, you were my salvation."  
  
She looked up at his softened expression and reached up to lightly run her thumb over his eye patch. "I love you Alexander Harris, I always have."  
  
His stomach flip-flopped at her declaration. "Dawnie I –"  
  
She silenced him. "Don't. I know you don't feel the same way, but I needed to get all that in the open before I chickened out. I know that this was a mistake; it was a fluke."  
  
His eyes widened at her sentence. "Dawn, I've fluked with someone before, and –" He realized his poor choice of words. "I mean, I've had some stolen kisses with someone before and that didn't compare to what I just felt when we kissed just now." He sighed as sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and propped his elbows up on the table. "In all honesty, my brain hurts right now because on one hand, you're like my sister and my best friend and in the other hand you're this beautiful young woman who I can't seem to keep my eye off of. Almost every part of me is saying that it's wrong to see you in any other way because you're Buffy's little sister, and that means hands off, you know?"  
  
She nodded as she sat down next to him, not saying anything. He searched his muddled thoughts as he continued. "I mean, if I was really honest with myself I'd have to admit that I started seeing you in a different way at the end of last year, but there was no way in Hell I could tell anyone that, much less you." He studied the intricate wood pattern of the table as his fingers traced over the pattern. "You've really come into your own last year, and now that I'm seeing you now, its like the little girl I used to know is gone and was replaced by a gorgeous, strong woman. When Anya had died last year, you were the one who really came through and helped me heal before we split up in our different directions. When you had come into my hotel room and just held me as I cried, I couldn't ever form words to tell you how much that meant to me."  
  
He looked into her glassy blue eyes that were filled with unshed tears. "I never wanted to think about you in that way before because I felt like I was verging on territory that should never be crossed. I pushed it to the back of my head, and I went to Africa because I thought that if I was there helping out with the 'Find-a-Slayer' project, it would give me time to get over everything." He sighed, as if in defeat. "The truth of it is though that it didn't work. I was hoping that you'd open the door and I wouldn't feel a thing, that all I would feel is brotherly love for you, but I don't and that's what's scaring the Hell out of me. I've been so incredibly lonely this past year Dawn; you don't know how many times I've wanted to just jump on a plane and visit you and Buffy. I wanted to take comfort in your arms again, but once again my thoughts would always take a detour and end up in a place where they shouldn't have been in the first place."  
  
He motioned to the rapidly cooling food on the table. "Food's getting cold."  
  
Dawn shrugged as she cleared her throat. "It can be reheated."  
  
He nodded and thought about how to continue. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure why I'm so scared about a relationship with you. I do feel guilty for thinking about you in a sexual way, but I know you're an adult now; not a fourteen year old ice cream eating maniac anymore." She smiled at his brief input of humor. "I think what I'm really scared of most of all though is the thought of losing you. Every woman that I've had a relationship with has died. I loved Anya, but I never loved her like she should've been loved, there was just something missing from my end. Even though I never loved Cordy, I still wish I had gotten to say goodbye to her before she had died; she was my first girlfriend and I'll never forget how nice she could be when she wanted to. Even Miss French and Ampata the Inca mummy girl didn't live too long after knowing me. And Faith, well, let's not even go there. My track record with the ladies hasn't exactly been stellar." He shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "I'm just terrified of losing you too. If being a member of the Scooby Gang has taught me anything, it's that life can be taken from you quicker then you can blink, and I don't think I could bear to watch you die either."  
  
Dawn could feel a tear trail down her cheek as she listened to Xander pour his heart out to her. "I wouldn't be able to go on without you too you know."  
  
A brief smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and he nodded. "Its nice to know there's someone who feels the same way about you as you do about them."  
  
"I always have Xander, you just never noticed it until now." A tear dripped onto her white T-shirt as she went on. "I didn't mean for all this to come out just after you walked in the door; I guess its been pent up for so long that it all came flooding out." She glanced at him and waved her hand at his attire. "Your physical appearance wasn't helping the situation either."  
  
He cocked an eyebrow at her comment. "What's this about my physical appearance?"  
  
She tried to hide a small smile from forming. "Well, I was kinda hoping when you came back that you wouldn't be so damn handsome anymore, but then I opened the door and poof – you came back even sexier then before!"  
  
"I'm now sexy?"  
  
She giggled through her tears. "You were always sexy. But you could also be goofy. That's another thing I love about you, the way you can combine the two at the exact same time. No one else I know can do that. You're special."  
  
He smiled at her before his expression became serious again. "I'm not really sure where to go from here Dawn. I mean, it'd probably be pointless to try to go back and pretend everything is normal because we all know that never works, but I'm not sure how to try the other option either. I've been out of the relationship loop for a while now so I'm a little rusty on my skills, but I wouldn't say no."  
  
Dawn couldn't believe what he was telling her. "I'm sorry, did you just agree to try a relationship out between us?"  
  
Xander laughed, "That's pretty much what I'm saying."  
  
Her face scrunched up and Xander's smile faltered as he watched a sob escape her lips. "Dawn?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm just so unbelievably happy right now, you have no idea how many times I've dreamed about this moment happening; I just never thought it would actually happen in real life. I just always thought you would never see me as anything but Buffy's sister, not just Dawn you know?"  
  
He shook his head. "Believe me, you don't know how many times I've mentally kicked myself in the groin for thinking things I shouldn't be."  
  
This intrigued her. "Such as...?"  
  
"Oh you'd love to know wouldn't you?"  
  
She lightly ran her finger down his arm. "As a matter of fact I would."  
  
He relinquished at her gentle touch. "Alright alright. The first time I ever thought about you in a non sisterly way was when you were under that RJ spell and was doing that sexy dance thing at the Bronze."  
  
Dawn couldn't contain the laugh that came out of her mouth. "When I was in that 'Hello Slutsville' outfit?"  
  
Xander blushed. "Yep, that would be the one."  
  
"You didn't verbalize your interest did you? Cause Buffy and Willow were sitting there with you weren't they?" Dawn arched her eyebrow, piqued with interest.  
  
"Uhh... no?"  
  
"Oh Xander you didn't! I'm surprised Buffy didn't kill you."  
  
Xander crossed his arms indignantly. "Hey, in my defense, I didn't know it was you. Besides, I wasn't the only one enjoying the show."  
  
Dawn's eyes widened. "Willow?" she squeaked out.  
  
"Uh huh. Guess she has good taste." He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye and his trademark goofy grin upon his face.  
  
Dawn leaned over to punch him lightly on the arm when they heard the key jam into the front door. She looked at him before moving slightly away from him; she wanted to tell Buffy about the news about her and Xander, but she didn't want to do it now, especially since she wasn't sure what kind of mood she was in at the moment. "It's probably Buffy," she whispered to him as the door swung open.  
  
"... and that ladies is how Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are related." Andrew swept into the apartment with two ladies on either side of him giggling.  
  
"Hey Andrew, guess who's here?" Dawn gestured to Xander who had started to get up from his chair.  
  
Andrew turned around and his hands flew to his mouth as he let out a squeal of delight. "Xander!" He opened his arms wide and engulfed Xander in a gigantic hug.  
  
Xander struggled for breath as Andrew squeezed him for all he was worth. He pulled back a bit and with a twinkle in his eye, stuck his hand in his suit pocket and produced a new deck of Dungeons and Dragons cards. "Guess who bought the new set!" He tossed them to Xander who looked at the package appreciatively before handing it back to Andrew.  
  
"Tomorrow morning. You, me and D&D! I've got an extra cloak if you need one!"  
  
Xander looked at Dawn before smiling sheepishly. "I'll bring the witty quips!"  
  
Andrew nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Magnificent. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some ladies to attend to." With that, he linked arms with the two attractive women and led them down the hallway into his room before shutting the door.  
  
Xander turned back to Dawn and raised his eyebrows. "Well, I think I can safely say that I've never met anyone quite like him."  
  
She laughed as she moved closer to him. "He's one of kind I think; just like someone else I know."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
Dawn grinned. "Absolutely." She leaned in and reached up to gently brush her thumbs over the stubble on his cheeks. "Now, can I have one more kiss before a certain vampire Slayer comes home?"  
  
Xander was more then happy to oblige. "A kiss for milady." His lips met hers in a soft kiss as she wound her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.  
  
An angry cough broke them out of the moment as they turned to see Buffy standing there with her arms crossed in the doorway. "That certain vampire Slayer is home now." 


	4. Part Four

Part Four

Dawn cringed when she saw Buffy standing in the doorway with a rather unpleased look upon her face. "Um, hi Buffy, we were just -"

"Wait, let me guess, you were just walking around and happened to trip and fall on his lips?"

"Well -"

Buffy interrupted her again. "-And then his tongue just happened to break your fall?"

"No...." Dawn's nervous look was replaced by one of irritation. "What you saw was exactly what happened. We were kissing, end of story. It wasn't an accident."

Dawn's bold statement made Buffy falter a bit. She hadn't been prepared to see one of her best friends making out with her sister, nonetheless have her sister be so straightforward with her.

Xander quickly glanced at Dawn, also taken aback by her matter-of-fact tone. This was not the way he had envisioned greeting Buffy after a year of not seeing her. He looked at Buffy again who looked like a bull who just had a red cloth waved in front of it. "Uh, hi Buff."

Buffy shifted her hardened stare from Dawn to Xander and her stony gaze softened a bit. "Hey Xand." She looked down uncomfortably at her shoes and then back up at him. "I see you're back from Africa."

He nodded slowly. "Yep."

After a long awkward silence, Buffy rolled her eyes. "Oh jeez, come here and give me a hug."

Xander quickly glanced at Dawn in sheer surprise for a moment before enveloping Buffy in a long overdue hug. As she pulled back from their embrace, she looked at Dawn. "I can kinda tell now why you wanted to kiss him so bad; he's built better then Hulk Hogan!"

Dawn couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her lips. "Hulk Hogan? Still living in the 80's are we?"

Buffy shrugged. "I'm not up on my wrestling these days; Xander who's the new "cool" wrestler guy?"

Xander didn't even hear her question; he just stood there looking at his arms and grinning. "Huh? What did you say?"

Dawn patted him on the shoulder. "He's still basking in the compliment you gave him."

A small smile formed on Buffy's lips. "I meant every word." She walked over to the table and patted the chairs next to her. "So, let's talk about this little matter-at-hand before I go back out to patrol."

The two reluctantly sat down around the table much to their disappointment. Xander opened his mouth to talk, but Dawn beat him to it. "Look Buffy, I really didn't want you to find out about us this way; I was going to sit down and tell you about it instead of you getting the audio/video version up close and personal." She cleared her throat and continued. "I don't think I ever told you how I felt about Xander. I mean, I know you always knew I had a crush on him a few years ago and all that, but its a lot more then that now, I think I'm in love with him." She nervously twirled a piece of her long brown hair before glancing at Xander and smiling. "And it turns out he feels the same way. I know how weird it must feel for you to see your best friend and sister kissing in front of you, but I think we've all seen weirder things in our lifetimes then this so I'm going to ask you to please accept it and be happy for us okay?"

Buffy just sat there looking at her sister who in the span of two minutes grew up right in front of her. "I..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just -" She blinked a few times and Xander and Dawn saw her eyes become glassy. "When did my little sister grow up?"

Dawn felt herself get choked up and as she went over to Buffy's chair, she threw her arms around her sister and they held each other tightly for a few moments before Buffy pushed back a stray hair from Dawn's face and smiled. "Of course I'm going to be happy for you two." She looked at Xander and squeezed his hand. "I'd rather her be happy with you then anyone else you know, and I'm sorry I got mad before, I just wasn't expecting it."

"Thanks Buffy, that means a lot you know." Xander gave her an appreciative glance before grinning seductively at Dawn.

Buffy caught the look and rolled her eyes. "Just please, if its at all possible, let me not see any gratuitous making out or anything of the sort." She got up from the table and picked up her leather coat from the coat rack. "I'm gonna go patrolling real quick, I'll be back in a little while." She turned towards the door and then looked back at Xander and Dawn who were looking at each other like hungry wolves. "Oh, and if I ever see the two of you in bed I will not be responsible for any lost appendages that may happen as a result." With that, she casually closed the door behind her.

Xander unconsciously placed a hand over the front of his pants while Dawn laughed out loud next to him. "So that went rather well dontcha think?"


End file.
